It is Wednesday afternoon, 10th Oct. I am an English National, resident in Mauritius since December. My husband is running a business here and my daughter is going to a local school in Mahebourg. I picked her up from school today for lunch at 11.45 and we walked together along the Esplanade towards our house. There were a group of teenagers on the seafront by the fisherman?s corner some dressed in a college uniform, some on bikes out of uniform but I didn?t take much notice of them. As I rounded the corner I heard running feet coming up behind me and I was completely stunned to feel hands grab my backside. I spun round and the boy fell down in the dirt, scrambled off and ran back to his cheering companions. Not only was this insulting act committed in front of my nine-year-old daughter but there were fishermen all around looking on. I have travelled the world over and I have never been physically assaulted in any way and I am trembling with rage as I feel powerless to prevent such behaviour here in Mauritius outside my own frontdoor.

I have been trying to decide what to do about the event and as I only caught a glimpse of the boy, I hesitate to go storming up to the college to protest. Instead I thought a letter in the newspaper condemning the student may make him think twice before persecuting grown women old enough to be his grandmother for goodness sake.

Mrs FLACK